[We see a close up of a young white male, tanned, white teeth, coiffed hair clearly an influencer on social media. It is an image such as you see when social media posts are shown on the news. In the corner of the screen is named a location: DUBAI. He is staring slightly off-camera for several silent panels of the comic strip. His eyes move slightly. He is having a thought.] From off-screen a newsreader’s commentary comes: NEWSREADER: Extraordinary images here of an expat in Dubai [The influencer’s eybrows raise slightly] …Having their first ever geopolitical thought. [CUT TO a BBC news scene. The BBC newsreader CLIVE MYRIE is talking to an interviewee next to the screen showing the social media influencer’s face. The interviewee’s name is David Jones]. CLIVE MYRIE: To explain the significance of this moment we’re joined by David Jones, our Expat Thoughts correspondent DAVID JONES: Clive, this is momentous It was caught on film at the end of an Instagram post titled: ‘Dubai Is Brilliant’. [Pointing at the screen, the influencer’s expression still the same] You can clearly see in the eyebrows here, the dawning realisation that there *might* be something in the world beyond his dickhead self. It marks a *huge* departure from all the Dubai Expat’s previous thoughts. CLIVE MYRIE: Which are…? DAVID JONES: You've Got To Get Yourself Out Here Mate, Everything Is So Clean, I Don't Have To Pay Taxes, I Am Incurious As To Why I Do Not Have To Pay Taxes, and Spa. CLIVE MYRIE: And might we see an expansion of these new Thoughts in coming days? DAVID JONES: I think we can expect to see: “I Deserve To Be Airlifted By A Country I Pay No Tax To” CLIVE MYRIE: Mmm. [Ends]

The MAGA-friendly European think tanks Trump wants to fund The Heritage Foundation identified European groups for U.S. backing.

🚨🚨 "Surprise, surprise": The U.S. is reorienting its foreign funding program to export #MAGA ideology to Europe — and a growing set of far-right and conservative think tanks and political groups are lining up to take Washington’s money. 🧵 www.politico.eu/article/maga...

Our #Horizon proposal got rejected as well, my experience with the evaluation process is v similar to what @silkegoubin.bsky.social describes.
Maybe time to think of improving the format to reduce the waste of resources of so many who are left with a críptic review that does not help them improve?

The event will also feature a roundtable of scholars deeply connected to Juan Linz and his work.

On June 11-12 we will follow up with the first IJL biennial conference.

10/12

🎉 🎉 We will hold the official launch of the IJL, dedicated to Juan Linz and his work, marking the 100th anniversary of his birth on June 10, 2026 :)

Invited scholars, including Steve Levitsky, Pablo Beramendi, Milan Svolik, and Anne Meng will reflect on “the Breakdown of Democracies”.

9/12

We have a very exciting series of events planned for 2026, and beyond.

In addition to our many internal events, our landmark permanent seminar hosts scholars from around the world and from around the social sciences.

Here is the program for this Spring (Spring 2026):

8/12

Key takeaway - the #EU should not hide behind lack of competences when Europeans are demanding solutions to real problems.

Today the President of the European Parliament @president.europarl.europa.eu came to #Madrid to answer some tough questions from the Spanish youth 🇪🇦 Much appreciated that she would use her time to create this possibility of a real dialogue with a key leader of the EU, much needed! 🇪🇺🇪🇺

@ilketoygur.bsky.social &
@alesojka.bsky.social: Does climate policy backlash fuel Eurosceptic vote? Exploring the link in the European Parliament elections 🔗 www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....

The Trump Effect: How One Man’s Politics Rewired Europe From defense to trade to climate policy, Trump’s second term has shaken Europe’s foundations and forced leaders across the continent to adapt to a new transatlantic reality.

You can read the whole piece @politico.eu here:
www.politico.eu/article/the-...

The Trump Effect: How One Man’s Politics Rewired Europe From defense to trade to climate policy, Trump’s second term has shaken Europe’s foundations and forced leaders across the continent to adapt to a new transatlantic reality.

While we keep talking, about #security, I anticipate an even deeper impact on European political #identity, galvanizing the communitarians and sharpening polarization within European societies, but also possibly mobilizing the complacent pro-Europeans, the other side of the identity politics coin.

The Trump Effect: How One Man’s Politics Rewired Europe From defense to trade to climate policy, Trump’s second term has shaken Europe’s foundations and forced leaders across the continent to adapt to a new transatlantic reality.

Happy to be featured alongside other colleagues in this end of the year piece on the #Trump's effect on European politics in @politico.eu

By locking in Russian assets for good, the EU finally plays hardball In an audacious move, the EU has decided to indefinitely immobilise the Russian sovereign assets, pushing back against external pressure to release the funds before Moscow agrees to pay war reparation...

Cards on the table: By locking in the Russian assets for good, the European Union is finally playing hardball.

And it offers a preview of what life could look like without unanimity in foreign policy.

My weekend analysis.

The EU just decided to indefinitely immobilise Russian assets.

This ensures that up to €210 billion in Russian funds stay on EU soil, unless Russia fully pays reparations to Ukraine for the damage it has caused. (1/2)

If European Digital Sovereignty is to mean anything, it ought to mean NOT posting on a platform owned and run by a fascist intent on undermining the EU!

And don't give me the bullshit you have to be there for "balance" or "reach" - the rules are stacked against you from the outset

New paper! @william-dinneen.bsky.social @guygrossman.bsky.social Yiqing Xu and I use GPT to code 91k articles from 174 polisci journals (2003–2023)and track research designs, transparency practices, and citations. How has the credibility revolution reshaped the discipline? doi.org/10.31235/osf...
🧵

Scathing view on the first year of vdL II: "Today the only tangible result [von der Leyen] consistently produces is the dismantling of what she built in her first term—above all the Green Deal, but also Europe’s economic and digital sovereignty."

🚨 Job Alert! Postdoc in POLITICAL TEXT ANALYSIS in the MULTIREP project

You do quant text analysis? You are interested in political representation? Enjoy working in teams? Would like to live in a great city? Consider joining us in Vienna!

⏱️ Apply by 15/12/2025

wratil.eu/files/MULTIR...

1/4 🧵

🌟 JOB ALERT! 🌟

I’m hiring 1 postdoc for my ERC project ECONENGAGE (@ Gothenburg 🇸🇪)! Starting ca. Aug '26! Congenial colleagues + int'l & supportive environment. 💸 for conferences + workshops! Lots of professional networking opportunities with scholars! Deadline Jan 7th. Apply! (see more below 🧵)

It's corruption only it comes from the Corruptian Mountains of Eastern Europe, otherwise it is just a sparkling gold bar.

Not hard to make profit margins over 30% if you don't pay people who produce the content you sell, and their employers pay you for access

In Brussels, the far right can no longer be ignored EU conservatives working with the far right have signed the death warrant of the cordon sanitaire.

🚨🚨"Welcome to the new European Parliament". In the year and a half since the far right surged at the EU election, Brussels’ mainstream forces have been anxiously wondering if the center can hold. Yesterday, they discovered it couldn’t. 🧵
www.politico.eu/article/euro...

The EU Parliament now has a right-wing majority President von der Leyen's centre-right EPP yesterday broke the centrist coalition, joining with the far right in order to pass the climate deregulation demanded by Trump.

Yesterday will mark a major turning point – the collapse of the European Parliament's decades-old centrist governing majority.

It's the end of an era, and the beginning of another.

The outcome illustrates the willingness of the center-right @eppgroup.bsky.social to abandon its traditional centrist allies and press ahead with the support of far-right groups to pass its deregulation agenda, setting a precedent for future lawmaking in Parliament for the rest of the mandate. /2

EU conservatives vote with far right to approve cuts to green rules The outcome highlights the EPP’s willingness to abandon its traditional centrist coalition allies.

🚨🚨Breaking and bad #EU news: Lawmakers in @europarl.europa.eu agreed today to exempt more companies from green reporting rules after the center-right, right-wing and far-right groups allied to pass the EU’s first omnibus simplification package. #omnibus 🧵
www.politico.eu/article/epp-...

And here is the second, 'Mr. Hyde' part of today's votes - where the EPP sides with the far-right, ranging from the ECR, to Orban & Le Pen's 'Patriots for Europe' and the AfD's 'Europe of Sovereign Nations' for a centre-right to far-right majority on the Omnibus 'deregulation':

First part of today's partially shizophrenic votes in - where the EP plenary, based on the 'von der Leyen' majority against the far-right, voted in favour of the 90+% carbon reduction goal for 2040.

The EU Far-Right Tracker: Exposing when the EPP sides with the Far Right | The Good Lobby Despite repeated reassurances from Commission the EPP continues to rely on the far right to pass legislation or secure political wins.

If today’s vote on Omnibus I passes with EPP+ECR+Patriots support, it establishes the operational majority for the rest of von der Leyen's term

This will have major economic and societal consequences at the time these groups chose Trump over the EU

thegoodlobby.eu/the-eu-far-r...

I consider myself super lucky to live in #Madrid, a city which is both beautiful and sunny AND is home to #MESS - a top notch community in empirical social sciences. Thanks to the organizers of #MESS2025 for 2 very intense days of discussing great research and networking w/ lovely people 🥰

‼️On Friday, Alberto López on "How Group Affinities Explain the Rise of Conservative Gays"‼️

Join us at 12.30 -- is open to everyone!! 🧐🤗